Some electrical connectors have plastic housings with through passages for receiving a plurality of pin terminals. The housings are molded, and the pin terminals then are inserted into and/or through the passages. It is very difficult to mold the passages if they are of any significant length. Therefore, the portion of the housing through which the passages extend typically is quite thin.
For instance, FIG. 1 shows an electrical connector assembly, generally designated 6, which includes a plug connector, generally designated 8, for mating with a receptacle connector, generally designated 10. Plug connector 8 includes a molded plastic housing, generally designated 12, which has an upright body portion 12a. The housing is molded of plastic material and includes a plurality of through passages 12b which extend through body portion 12a. A plurality of conductive pin terminals, generally designated 14, are inserted through passages 12b. The pin terminals have contact portions 14a which project forwardly of body portion 12a for insertion into a plurality of sockets 16 in receptacle connector 10 for engaging appropriate contacts or terminals (not shown) within the sockets. Terminals 14 are right-angled or L-shaped and include tail portions 14b bent downwardly behind body portion 12a for insertion into appropriate holes in a printed circuit board and for connection, as by soldering, to appropriate circuit traces on the board and/or in the holes. It can be seen that body portion 12a of housing 12 of plug connector 8 is quite thin as shown by the very narrow top surface 18 of the body portion. This makes it easy to mold passages 12b through the body portion.
Electrical connectors, such as plug connector 8, often are handled and manipulated during manufacturing processes by automated apparatus, such as during positioning the connector onto a printed circuit board. Typical automated manufacturing processes use vacuum pick-up units which require a sufficient planar or flat surface for the application thereto of a vacuum suction head. Unfortunately, while the very thin body portion 12a makes it easy to mold through passages 12b, the very narrow top surface 18 of the body portion does not provide a sufficient planar area for the application of a vacuum suction head. In addition, it can be seen that there is little or no protection for the tail portions 14b of terminals 14 at the rear or terminating side of the connector where the tail portions are exposed. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a housing structure (a) which is thin enough to easily mold terminal-receiving passages therethrough, (b) which includes an enlarged planar surface for the application thereto of a vacuum suction head and (c) which provides protection for the tail portions of the terminals, the housing structure including components which perform dual functions.